This invention relates generally to utilization of databases, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for maintaining and using database records to facilitate inspections of industrial plants such as nuclear power plants.
Regular inspection of nuclear power plants for cracks or other anomalies is performed by teams of qualified inspectors known as “level 3 engineers.”The level 3 engineers inspect internal components and denote and quantify items needing attention. These inspections occur on a regular, scheduled basis and include a checklist of items to be inspected. For example, the size and location of cracks that might be discovered are noted. In addition, inspections also occur during any unscheduled outages or at other times that may be deemed appropriate. The results of these inspections are uploaded to a central database (e.g., an ORACLE® database, available from Oracle International Corporation, Redwood City, Calif.) for tracking purposes. Any items that may require follow-up are scheduled for a subsequent inspection. Follow-up inspections and checklists of items to be inspected are based on Nuclear Regulatory Commission or other rules in place that dictate how, when, and what to inspect in a plant and what to do during an inspection.
These databases are effective at scheduling and targeting inspections, but require much manual intervention to use and are not automated. In some cases, processes involving multiple software and/or computer systems are involved that can increase time for both a customer and a level 3 engineer. Previous attempts at addressing these issues involved the use of a number of individuals checking data, ensuring that it is valid and in existence prior to uploading the inspection data to the central database. This approach requires considerable time and is very labor intensive. Moreover, at least one known procedure involves entering inspections into an ORACLE database via a web server one inspection at a time (where, for example, there could be hundreds of exam inspections per outage) or sending information to a number of different resources in a process that can take days to complete.